Clothes line and clothes pin assembly



' July 29, 195s G. scHwAN 2,845,186

cLoTEES LINE AND CLOTHES PIN ASSEMBLY Filed June 1:5, 1956 IIIIIIL l ATTO EY United States Patent CLOTHES LINE AND CLOTHES PIN ASSEMBLY Gerhard Schwan, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Application June 13, 1956, Serial No. 591,071

6 Claims. (Cl. 211-119.11)

This invention relates to a clothes line and clothes pin assembly.

In the present practice of hanging out clothes on a permanent line or one which is set up for the occasion, the clothes pins are carried in a bag or basket which may be suspended from the line or as usual placed on the ground during the hanging up of clothes.

.The clothes pins accordingly require substantially the constant use of `one hand, with the other hand free for handling the clothes. This practice is not only cumbersome but substantially lengthens the time required for placing the clothes on the line.

Furthermore, the clothes pins are frequently let fall to the ground which not only requires extra time and body exertion in retrieving the same but such pins often require washing before use thereof.

lt is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a clothes pin container permanently disposed adjacent to a movable clothes supporting line and in a position wherein the successive pins are automatically accessible at the point of hanging the successive pieces of clothes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a supplemental line movable through the container and on which said clothes pins are permanently supported.

A further troublesome condition in the hanging of clothes is a dirty. line and which may prevail either with a permanent line or a transportable line.

Even though a line be cleaned prior to the hanging of clothes, it soon becomes dirty by the accumulation of matter always present in the air.

It is accordingly a further object of the invention to provide a line cleaner disposed adjacent the point of clothes hanging and by which the clothes line is cleaned immediately preceding the placing of clothes thereon.

A still further object of the invention is a substantial saving of time and fatigue in the hanging out and bringing in of the clothes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. l is a perspective view of the improved assembly.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clothes line cleaning structure.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating restraining means for the clothes pins.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, designates a bracket in which are rotatably supported lower and upper pulleys 11 and 12, respectively. This bracket is provided with an inward extension 13 and an outward extension 14.

The extension 13 rotatably supports a clothes line pulley 15 and the extension 14 is adapted to be secured to a post.

A clothes line 16 travels about the pulley 15 and a clothes pin supporting nylon line 17 travels about the pulleys 11 and 12.

Fice

At this point, it is to be understood that a second bracket similar to that shown is used and secured to another post.

A container 18 is provided for the clothes pins 19 and such comprises an upwardly opening channel base portion 18EL and 'a light easily operable and closable dome cover 18b which at its rear edge is hingedly connected to ,the rear side ilange `of base portion 181 and means 18 are provided for retaining the cover closed while permitting opening thereof.

The container has opposite open ends with one thereof secured to bracket 10 and around the pulley 11 whereby the nylon line 17 extends through the container.

The lower run of the` clothes line 16 extends along -one side wall of the container and .through a cleaning device 20 shown in detail in Fig. 2 and which comprises a pair of substantially semi-tubular plates 21 housing `a mass of felt, sponge, or cloth 22 through which the clothes line extends for cleaning of same immediately preceding the application of clothes thereto.

The said plates 21 may be hinged at 23 and the plates may be held in closed position by suitable spring catches 24.

One, plate 21 is provided with a bracket 25 by means of which the cleaning Vdevice is secured to the front wall of the clothes pin container 18.

The nylon line 17 is desirably provided with a rubber disk Z6 at a point thereon to the rear of the clothes pins within the container and which disk is movable .but rm and which functions -to urge the clothes pins toward the front end of the container upon a slight pull on the nylon line 17 to the right. The rubber disk will frictionally engage the line, yet allow the line 17 to move therethrough, with the disk being maintained in proper position within the container 18.

Furthermore, in order to preclude a free outow of clothes pins from the front open end of the container, same is provided with a block 27` which as indicatedin Fig. 3 will offer resistance to such free movement of the clothes pins from within the container.

In use, the clothes C are hung adjacent 4the outlet end of the container 18 as indicated in Fig. l. Upon hanging of successive articles, the clothes pins are to be taken one by one (gliding on the nylon line) from the front part of the open container and with the same movement placed on wet clothes and clothesline 16, which is to be moved. At this point it is to be observed, that the pins shown embody coil springs 19 for normally closing the halves of the pins, and through which springs the nylon line 17 freely extends and while the pins are shown in stacked form in the open container, very close to the hang up point, both hands are continuously free of clothespins, able to put the wet clothes from the basket on the clothes line 16 easily.

In fact, a pull on the clothes line 16 will. cause the clothes pins to glide on the nylon line to a hanging position, without moving the nylon line. A pull on the nylon line to the right will ll the front part of the container again, otherwise only the clothes line 16 need be moved. i

As the clothes line is moved to the right, the line will be constantly cleaned by the device 20.

In the removal of the clothes, the clothes line 16 is intermittently moved to the left. Clothes pins which have been removed from the clothes will hang on the nylon line 17, above point of removal.

Both hands are then free to fold the clothes and place same in a basket. A slight push to the left will forward clothes pins back into the container.

A strong wind may cause clothes to tangle lines 16 and 17. Only in such case will a pull on line 16 move both lines to the left.

Having set forth my invention in accordance with a preferred structural embodiment thereof, what I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

1. A structure of the kind described comprising an endless clothes line movable about a pair of pulleys, a clothes pin container disposed between said pulleys adjacent the lower run of the said clothes line, and means for delivering clothes pins from said container in succession into adjacency to said lower run of the clothes line, said means comprising an endless line having the lower run thereof movable through said container and on which said clothes pins are movably supported.

2. A structure of the kind described comprising an endless clothes line movable about a pair of pulleys, a clothes pin container disposed between said pulleys adjacent the lower run of said clothes line, and means for delivering clothes pins from said container in succession into adjacency to said lower run of the clothes line, said means comprising an endless nylon line having the lower run thereof extending through said container and on which said clothes pins are movably supported, and means on said nylon line for urging said clothes pins toward the discharge end of the container.

3. The structure according to claim 2, together with means at the discharge end of said container for restricting movement of clothes pins therefrom.

4. A structure of the kind described, comprising an endless clothes line movable about a pair of pulleys, one of which is supported by a post engageable bracket, an

elongated clothes pin container having one end thereof base portion and a dome cover movably supported by said base portion, an elongated cylindrical clothes line cleaning device supported by said clothes pin container base portion and through which said endless clothes line moves, and an endless line having the lower run thereof longitudinally movable through said container and on which clothes pins are movably supported.

5. The structure according to claim 4, wherein said clothes line cleaning device comprises a pair of semi-tubular plates which have a mass of cleaning substance, said plates having adjacent ends thereof hingedly connected, spring catches operatively associated with the opposite edges of the plates, and one of said plates being provided with a bracket secured to said container base portion.

6. A clothes pin carrier assembly for disposition adjacent the lower run of an endless clothes line, comprising anelongated clothes pin container open at opposite ends and through which extends the lower run of a movable endless line and on which clothes pins are movably supported, means on said last lower run disposed rearwardly of said supported clothes pins for advancing the clothes pins toward one of the open ends of said container, and means adjacent said open end of the container for restricting movement of clothes pins from the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 516,279 Pike Mar. 13, 1894 613,174 Rice Oct. 25, 1898 1,036,607 Gladden Aug. 27, 1912 2,598,404 MacKenzie May 27, 1952 

